Russian attacks on Ukraine overnight killed at least four civilians and wounded 20 other people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported, as his government faced public outcry over a major reshuffle that consolidated state power. Zelenskyy's decision on Thursday to fire his popular defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, and appoint a new prime minister, unsettled military leadership and triggered widespread public anger. This internal political maneuvering unfolded during the more than 4-year-old conflict, even as Ukraine claimed battlefield traction.
Thousands of people demonstrated against Fedorov’s dismissal in cities across Ukraine on Thursday. Further street protests were expected today. Fedorov, 35, had served in the post for just six months. He was widely seen as a driving force behind Ukraine’s technological innovation and efforts to fight military corruption, measures that had brought a measure of hope to the populace.
State Consolidates Power
Zelenskyy stated that relations between Fedorov and Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, had broken down, rendering Fedorov’s position untenable. Syrskyi began his military career in the former Soviet Union. Zelenskyy asked Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara, acting head of the state’s security service (SBU) and a highly regarded special operations expert, to assume the defense minister’s duties. Khmara has been in charge of the SBU since January. He previously led the SBU’s elite Alpha special forces unit and is known for being an architect of Operation Spiderweb, which struck Russian air bases one year ago. He joined the Alpha unit 15 years ago, became its commander three years ago, and was promoted to major general two years ago.
Zelenskyy announced late Thursday he would ask Parliament to formally approve Khmara’s appointment as defense minister, a step required by law. This process could face bureaucratic hurdles. Ukrainian law mandates a civilian defense minister, meaning a serving soldier or security service officer must leave active service before formal appointment. Lawmakers will also be on summer recess through mid-August. The appointment of a security service chief to a top defense post signals a deeper entrenchment of the state's repressive apparatus within its military command.
The War's Human Toll
Moscow’s response to battlefield difficulties and Ukraine’s targeting of Russian oil facilities, which has caused severe fuel shortages, has focused in part on relentless strategic bombing of civilian areas. Two people were killed and 10 others injured, including children, in an overnight Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa. Regional military administration head Oleh Kiper reported that one victim was a woman walking in a park with her children, who survived the strike. In the Zaporizhzhia region, two people were killed and five more were injured in a separate strike, according to Zelenskyy. He also reported three injuries from Russian shelling in the northeastern Kharkiv region. Officials confirmed more injuries from Russian strikes on five other regions of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses downed 243 Ukrainian drones overnight into Friday. Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed head of the Russia-occupied part of Ukraine’s Kherson region, stated that three civilians were killed and seven others injured in Ukrainian drone attacks over the previous 24 hours. The continuous exchange of fire extracts a heavy price from the working people caught in the conflict.
Contradictions of Reform
Fedorov's brief tenure and his popular image as a reformer fighting corruption highlight the precariousness of even limited internal changes within the state apparatus. His swift removal, despite public support, demonstrates how such efforts can be undone by internal power struggles among the ruling elite. The appointment of a career security officer in his place further underscores the state's ultimate function: the protection of power and accumulated wealth, often at the expense of popular will and genuine structural reform.